When Alex Dombrandt last featured in a Wales-England game, it was all very different to what lies in store for him this weekend.
Rather than playing in front of an 82,000 Twickenham crowd, it was at the 6,000-capacity Parc Eirias in Colwyn Bay.
He was also packing down at second row rather than his current Harlequins position of No 8.
Oh and one other thing. He was playing for Wales rather than England.
It was February 2017 in the U20s Six Nations and the 19-year-old Dombrandt was wearing the three feathers, not the red rose, as a result of studying at Cardiff Met.
He didn’t have any Welsh eligibility in terms of birthplace, family or residency, having been born and raised in Surrey to English parents.
But, as a Cyncoed-based student, he was able to be selected for Wales U20s in the Six Nations and featured in every match during that year’s Championship.
For the second game, against England, he was a sub, coming on as a replacement after half-time during a 37-21 defeat.
Among his Wales team-mates that day were the likes of Rhys Carre, Morgan Morris, Ryan Conbeer and Keiran Williams, while James Botham and Shane Lewis-Hughes were also part of the squad.
“It wasn’t a great day for myself, we lost quite convincingly,” he recalls.
“But I look back at those games with fond memories.
“I think they have really helped me into the player I am today, to be exposed at international level, albeit at age-grade.”
In the opposition ranks that evening five years ago were Tom Curry, Harry Randall and Nick Isiekwe, who are all now England team-mates and set to be involved with him versus Wales this weekend.
“They were very impressive in that game,” he recalls.
“I am looking forward to running out with those boys instead of playing against them.”
Dombrandt arrived at Cardiff Met in 2015 having played his junior rugby for Warlingham RFC, in Surrey, the same home club as former England captain Chris Robshaw.
He had played a bit at fly-half and full-back in his younger days, which he feels helped develop the ball-handling skills which are a big part of his game today.
But, at Cyncoed, he was employed in the second row and soon made his mark with his rampaging runs.
One of his team-mates there was another player who could be involved at Twickenham this weekend, Wales back row forward Aaron Wainwright.
“I played a year and a half with Aaron,” he said.
“He is an incredible athlete, incredibly quick and he has got great footballing skills.
“He could easily have played in the backs, at centre or on the wing, he was that quick.
“If I remember correctly, he had trials at Cardiff City.
“He left uni to go full time with the Dragons and he was accelerated and did very well on the international stage.
“Like I say, he’s a great athlete with great footballing skills, so it is no surprise he is doing so well.
“He is a good friend of mine. We still speak a little bit now.”
There were some dark days for Dombrandt during his college years, as he twice sustained a broken jaw playing against Glynneath.
“Against the clubs in the Welsh Championship, there was definitely a physical aspect to it,” he says.
“That was my first taste of adult rugby, so I didn’t have much to compare it to.”
Despite those set-backs, he looks back on his time at Cyncoed as a huge positive both on and off the field.
“It’s been a unique journey, I would say,” he said.
“I obviously spent three years at Cardiff Met Uni and made some friends for life.
“I have some really fond memories on the pitch, in terms of some rugby memories, and off the pitch. It sort of shaped me into the person I am today.
“I look at those three years with some fond memories.”
Dombrandt’s obvious potential as a skilled, ball-carrying forward saw him offered a contract by Cardiff Blues during his time at Cyncoed.
But he opted not to take up the opportunity, choosing to focus on completing his degree.
“I got offered a contract, but I felt I wouldn’t have been able to commit 100 per cent to both the academic side and being a professional rugby player,” he explains.
“So I took the decision upon myself to focus on my studies and park the rugby side of things and see where I ended up at the end of my third year.
“I didn’t think it was possible to do the two at 100 per cent.”
Having completed his studies, Dombrandt then took up a place with Harlequins and went from strength to strength, amid a move to the back row.
After a two-try Man of the Match display in a non-cap game against the Barbarians at Twickenham in June 2019, he eventually made his England Test debut versus Canada last July.
He now has six caps to his name and started at No 8 in the 33-0 victory over Italy in Rome in round two of the Six Nations.
As he vies for the position with Exeter’s Sam Simmonds ahead of the meeting with Wales, just how does he see his role?
“For me, it’s just trying to get my hands on the ball as much as possible and impose myself on the game,” said the 24-year-old.
“That comes from the work I do off the ball.
“It’s trying to put myself in positions where I can get the ball and trying to find those little pockets off Marcus (Smith) that I like to do.
“I am an attack-minded player, but I am aware at this level you need an all-court game. Your attack has to be good, but also your defence has to be up there as well, so I have been working hard on that aspect of my game to make sure they are on a level.”
His near telepathic understanding with fly-half and Harlequins team-mate Marcus Smith has been there for all to see over the last couple of years.
“Marcus and I spend a lot of time together off the pitch,” he said.
“We are great friends and I think that translates sometimes to what we do on the pitch as well.
“We understand each other’s games well and hopefully that transfers onto the pitch.”
As for the prospect of going head to head with the fit-again Taulupe Faletau, Dombrandt said: “He is obviously a great player who has played loads of games for Wales.
“If selected, it would be a great test for me to go up against him, for sure.
“He is one of those No 8s that’s got a great all-court game. He’s good in defence and very good in attack. I have watched him play a lot of games and picked up a few things from him.”
And finally how does he see this weekend’s Six Nations encounter going at Twickenham?
“I think it’s going to be a physical game,” he said.
“Wales are a passionate country and England-Wales games are always quite physical, so I expect that.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game, but it’s one we are really excited for, our first Six Nations match of the season at Twickenham.
“We want to go after the game and go after Wales and try and have a fast start.
“We are ready for the challenge.”
Wales U20s 21, England U20s 37 (Colwyn Bay, Feb 2017)
Wales U20s: Will Talbot-Davies; Jared Rosser, Ioan Nicholas, Keiran Williams, Ryan Conbeer; Ben Jones, Dane Blacker; Rhys Carre, Ellis Shipp, Keiron Assiratti, Callum Bradbury, Sean Moore, Morgan Sieniawski, Will Jones (capt), Morgan Morris.
Replacements: Corrie Tarrant, Steff Thomas, Chris Coleman, Alex Dombrandt, Aled Ward, Declan Smith, Phil Jones, Cameron Lewis.
England U20s: Tom Parton; Joe Cokanasiga, Max Wright, Will Butler, Gabriel Ibitoye; Jacob Umaga, Harry Randall; Ollie Dawe, Joe Mullis, Joseph Morris; Nick Isiekwe, Justin Clegg; Tom Curry, Ben Earl (capt), Zach Mercer.
Replacements: Curtis Langdon, Alex Seville, Ciaran Knight, Josh Caulfield, Josh Bayliss, Alex Mitchell, James Grayson, Dominic Morris.
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